Concise History of American Music Education
America has a rich tradition of music development and appreciation. Music education has been a part of this tradition for hundreds of years. Although music education has had many exciting and inspiring points over this time, a handful of events stick out as being most deserving of remembrance and attention. These events had the most significant impact on music education and set the tone for future work in the field.
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Singing Schools
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According to Music Education Today and Nation Master, in the early 17th century, students learned music orally for church service participation, so most education was for vocal music. Reflecting this focus, in 1717, Reverend Thomas Symmes founded the first official singing school in the American colonies. The entire purpose of this school was to make sure that young people could sing and interpret hymns.
Lowell Mason
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In the early 1800s, schools began offering music as part of their curriculum. An important leader for music education during this period was Lowell Mason. According to Nation Master and Cyber Hymnal, Mason founded the Boston Academy of Music and published a book called Manual of Instruction. The academy still focused on vocal music, but also taught theory and teaching methods. The manual built on the work of music educator Johann Pestalozzi, and music instructors used the manual like a standard handbook.
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Luther Mason
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According to Nation Master and Bonlyn Hall, Luther Mason wrote and published the National Music Course, which became a standard text for music educators. As the Supervisor of Music of Boston, Mason published dozens of textbooks and thereby introduced music education into all levels of the public school system across the country.
Late 18th and Early 20th Centuries
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Nation Master explains how the work of Symmes, Lowell Mason and Luther Mason laid a solid foundation for future music education development in the United States. In 1884 Julia Crane founded the first formal school just for music educators, and within the next 40 years, musicians were able to get 4 year degrees in music from the Oberlin Conservatory and had formed both the music section of the Nation Education Association and the Music Educators National Conference.
Mid to Late 20th Century
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According to Nation Master, in the mid 1900s, work by composers such as John Phillips Sousa shifted the emphasis in music education from vocal to instrumental study. However, choral music developed rapidly, and in 1961, musicians launched the American Choral Directors Association. Other movements and organizations, such as the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ann Arbor Symposium, not only funded music education, but openly discussed teaching methods, music education issues and music impacts.
Modern Education
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Today, students enjoy a wide range of music education opportunities. They may pursue education in performance, education, composition/theory, or production/management. Because of the rise in technology and the popularity of entertainment media, music education has expanded to include electronic/digital music and film scoring, with an emphasis on less tonal melodic and harmonic structure.
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References
- Photo Credit music image by UBE from Fotolia.com
